Nico Hulkenberg’s hopes of a fairytale comeback Formula One race ended before it even begun, with car trouble preventing him from starting the British Grand Prix.
HUlkenberg was drafted in to replace Racing Point’s Sergio Perez this week, following the Mexican driver’s positive COVID-19 test. The German driver’s return caused a stir given his unenviable record of the most F1 starts without a podium and the fact he was seemingly returning with a competitive car.
The German qualified 12th for the event. The way he quickly adapted to the situation earned praise from Racing Point on Saturday evening.
However, when the pit-lane opened, his pink Racing Point failed to emerge from the garage after the team detected an issue with his car. Initially the team confirmed he would start from the pit-lane but it was unable to find the necessary fix in time to start the race.
It is yet to be confirmed how long Perez is required to quarantine for, so it remains to be seen whether Hulkenberg gets a second chance at the follow-up grand prix taking place at Silverstone next Sunday.